Pep Guardiola has hailed Phil Foden as “special” after the teenager grabbed the winner against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
City beat Spurs by that single goal from the Englishman to keep up with Liverpool in the Premier League title race. It was rare sighting for Foden to earn a spot in Guardiola’s starting XI and the 18-year-old immediately justified his selection. However, the Spanish boss warned the youngster on what he has to do to become a first team regular.
“He has to fight Fernandinho and [David] Silva, he has to beat [Ilkay] Gundogan, he has to run and run and run to convince me he can play, but I trust him — I trust him a lot,” Guardiola said after the victory at Etihad.
“Of course, with young players, you have to be careful. As quick as you go up, as quickly you can go down. Sometimes you have to handle that situation a bit, but we didn’t have any doubts.
“Every time he played he was outstanding, he was the top, he was at the level to be a Manchester City player — and it isn’t easy to be in that team, any of these teams like Tottenham. But he’s able to do that. He’s 18-years-old and that’s why I am so satisfied.
“I see him in every training session and he has something special — and I have seen many players as a manager, so many, and this guy has something that is difficult to find. So he’s special, now work hard and you’ll see how far he is going.”
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